St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-12-27

Pahn
Here all his energy was given to his
oars, and literally the Sirena flew.
Look OUTS
Noel gave quick warning, and slipped
Off his seat.
.'Down!" roared Pietro.
An instantaneous feeling of rock be-
ing close above ones face, One rapid feel
ing of Swimming flight, and-there was
the Blue GrottO.
Dazzling blue, radiant certulean blue.
with argent sparkling wavelets, with
walls of powdered sapphire dust, with
hush as of mystic marvel. with the fairy
drip of Opaline gems in place of water
drops from uplifted oars.
Then reality, human, commonplace
reality-murmurOus talking, louder talk
ing, laugh, cry-just amusement;
and then from the deep-blue depths a
man like sunlighted silver stands on a
deep PROV. poises himself, flies, dives,
SwimS.
Nay, what is it all? Only the Snowman
of the grottO. Why not let nature do
without Snowman?
Midday was past. The San Carlo was
steaming gradually up to the Capri
landing stage.
The place was picture-Quaint boats
rocked OH the blue waters; picturesque
fiSherfOlk lOlled about on the Sun-baked
stones. Old women that were croneS,
but still picturesque in their almost
Eastern depth of cOlOring; children
that were very angels for beauty, young
imps for rascality; hotel tOuts; tourists;
then, like phalanx drawn up to con-
quer, string of chOral-Sellers.
The prettiest girls of Capri; ay, and
what does that mean? They say that
the Capri girls are the most beautiful
girls of Italy. 1t is true. You will see
in Capri the most lovely of 1taly's lovely
children.
Now, whole morning of companion
ship makes even BritOnS SOciable in
these warm, free, southern places: so
Mona separated from her brothers, chat
tered to some San Franciscan girls she
had sat by during the storm.
These girls knew everything.
.'YOu know the name of the belle of
cOral-sellerS, Miss MOrriS?" one asked.
mo; Fve only heard that they tried
do you; they ask no end, but they
come down to Ira for string of
cOrals."
Worth dollars III New York;" the
sister cried. "We're proposing to start
coral store when we leave Europe;
we'd make our pile in no time"
"There she Isl
"What!- BELIEF"
Eyes, they say she always wears bet
ter clothes than the rest-lOok how she's
got up. Look at the plating of her hair;
lovely! And the rose stuck behind her
ear! And, that apron over her scarlet
skirt; it's all embroidered on the bands
of color-I wonder if she did it herself.
My! -she is pretty~
So our girls strolled along.
They were not many minutes before
they we're asked to buy coral. A red
haired girl was the seller, just like one
of those marvelOusly beautiful fair
haired women of the medieval pictures
what can be more beautiful than the
warm. red gold hair ruff1ed and piled
above eyes of warm brown. whose lashes
of warm brown, too, make the Shad-
owed eyes wells of passion?
Then came crOne with cracked
voice and tongue that ratified so fast
no one could comprehend her; then,
again, two children, each with string
of small bits of coral. Persistent were
they beyond all the rest, black and
golden-haired pictures like the rest.
Mona bought their bits of poor coral
for Ealf lira, and away tore the scamps,
bare-legged and with their tluttering
ant pennonS of angels.
Pietro was lolling upon his boat,
which he had dragged up; CarlOtta
needed him not, though in all his lazi-
ness his eyes stared hungrily and
angrily at her.
The young cOQuette-she was the
center of a circle of young men tourists.
She was tossing her beautiful head
and lingering the great amber beads
round her throat. "Ah! 81, signor,"
she was saying, II spik Ingless. he
coral is four lire-Ze largesS is five lire"
And she held up her merchandise with
Unborn peasant grace. -.
Then the young men haggled, they
chaffed, they pretended to teach her
English words-they OutrageOusly
tlirted with her.
CarlOtta was equal to them.
She did not know much English, but
she knew enough for her trade, and for
the rest she laughed as your Italian can
laugh, so easily and so gleefully. She
showed her pretty white teeth and she
shook her dark head, jingling her big
earrings; she was not going TO let
these young milOrdS have her coral for
one SOldO less than she asked.
A dark, handsome man, fisherman,
seemingly, in rough jersey, laZily
passed along.
He and Carlotta exchanged a glance.
He had not nice expression, this
man. His black head was closely
cropped like the head of Nero in the
galleries; his brows were straight, and
firm, and closely knit; his mouth was
close and grave; but he had the beauty
of Caesar.
Hal" a gay English boy cried,
.eThat'S tho diver I know something
ell, Carlotta!'
'Ah! ST. The signor knows-ver
mooch. Everything" she laughed.
1.-The prOmessO spOsO-there! Who
told me?"
Non capisco. signor. 1 not under
stand''
"You-he-promesso sposo," the lad
insisted ignorantly.
The girl laughed. mo, no, no, Car
lotta does not say that; Carlotta will
wait-will choose" No dainty lady
could show more pride than this coral
seller did in the sudden lifting and
Strengthening of her figure
Come to England, Carlotta," the
wild boy cried. There are great sign
Ors therew
''Then Carlotta may be will come one
day. But the coral, signOr, the beauti-
full coral; and only five lire, will not the
signor buy in ricordanza-to remember
Carlotta at Capri?" Her head went on
one side with the EXTREMIST, most fas-
cinating touch of pathOs.
"Dick, pay your money pleasantly,
and come ON. Don't fool away there any
longer. l want some lunch" The boy
had his sleeve pulled by an elder man.
So Carlotta pocketed her exorbitant
gains and strolled away up the street.
All the strangers were going in at the
hotel doors for the meal which was set
out for them; trade was done for an
hour or so. The beggars and the sellers
slipped away, counting their gains,
playing at games with the coins, Squab-
bling, gesticulating. idling.
Carlotta sat OH stone in the shadow,
thrust out her daintily shod feet,
Slinnad off her haelleSS shoes bit into